MS Dhoni, who is rumored to be considering calling it quits on what has been an extraordinary journey in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is already embracing the sunset phase of his iconic career. Dhoni, one of the finest captains in the history of the sport, regressed for the nth time in the IPL on Sunday by making a brief appearance for the Yellow Brigade against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Chepauk.
MS Dhoni is likely to play his last IPL this season. In his tenure for CSK, the ‘Thala’ has won 4 IPL titles for the Men in Yellow. He has won so many games for his side with his captaincy, great wicketkeeping, and finishing touches with the bat. The new captain will have very huge shoes to fill once MS retires.
Wasim Akram, a renowned Pakistani cricketer, has personally chosen MS Dhoni’s ideal replacement at Chennai Super Kings at a time when the IPL 2023 is anticipated to be Dhoni’s final game of competitive cricket.
Akram thinks CSK have a backup batter in case Dhoni decides to retire from IPL cricket at the end of the current season. When MS Dhoni announces his retirement, the former Pakistan captain has endorsed veteran Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane to take over.
Akram names his candidate
“CSK had tried Ravindra Jadeja as captain in IPL 2022 and saw that his own performances were getting affected. They had to change the captain. I think they won’t get a better option than Rahane as he can become consistent and is a local player. We have seen that local players are more successful in franchise cricket,” Akram told Sportskeeda.
Senior batsman Rahane underwent a dramatic transformation in the IPL 2023 and has now solidified his spot in the CSK lineup after contributing several game-changing knocks for Dhoni’s team.
At the IPL 2023 auction, Rahane was acquired by CSK for his base price of INR 50 lakh. Akram, a former Pakistani pacer, wants CSK to win the illustrious trophy this year under Dhoni’s guidance as well. Four-time champions CSK are now in fourth place in the IPL 2023 points standings with Dhoni at the helm. This season, Dhoni and the company have accumulated 10 points in 9 games.
“As for foreign players, they don’t even remember players’ names, so how can they lead. So, I think Rahane is an excellent choice to lead Chennai if Dhoni says he’s had enough. CSK might have their own plans, but they are a franchise that plan by putting a lot of thought, epitomized by Stephen Fleming, who knows the team culture inside and out and the players also trust him fully,” Akram added.
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